Railway highway crossing



March 8, 1932. J. w. cERNY RAILWAY HIGHWAY CROSSING Filed Dec. 30, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet March 8, 1932. J. w. CERNY 1,848,604

RAILWAY HIGHWAY CROS S ING Filed Dec. 30, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o o o 3': m /Z/ 22) /4a 22 /7a a as IE2 e IR 2 "ma iv.

amen Co's JOHN W CE/QNY suggested and employed, such crossings being ence characters refer to like parts. It is to 5 portion of the flangeway rail abutting the web embodying the invention, and .u

Patented Mar. 8, 1932 q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN W. CERNY,OF DENVER, COLORADO RAILV/"AY EIGHWAY CROSSING Application filed December 30, 1930. Serial No. 505,497.

This inventionrelates toarailway highway The above and other objects will be made crossing and more particularly to an imapparent throughout the further description proved construction thereof. 7 of the invention taken in connection with the Many typesof such crossings have been accompanying drawings, wherein like referof themetal, wooden or other types. All of be expressly understood that the drawings are such structures known to me do not possess not a definition of the invention, the latter bethe rugged endurance required. This is due mg expressed in the scope of the appended for the most part to the peculiar office held claims. l by the crossing. The tremendous weight and In the drawings: co

pounding to which the traffic rails and the Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly in 1 adjacent crossing members are subjected section, of a railway highway crossing emcause a situation that has been heretofore bodying the invention.

overlooked. The most conventional prac- Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the tice is to provide, on the .inner sides of the line 22 of Fig. 1. i as j trafic rails, what is known as a flangeway Figure 3 is a partial plan view embodying rail, the latter being nothing more than a the invention but illustrating the structure traflic rail disposed at 90 degrees to the trafwhen the crossing occurs at a rail joint.

fic rail, having the ball portion or the upper Figure lis an enlarged detail sectional view of the traffic rail. This structure is general- Figure 5 is an enlarged detail View of one ly accepted as the answer to the provision of a of the flangeway rail supporting members.

' flangeway. However, the heretofore re- Referring to the drawings, the preferred ferred to pounding of the train wheels deembodiment illustrated includes a supportvelops a pumping action within the flangeing surface 10, which may be earth, concrete 7.; way which forces into the intermediate crossor other suitable material, having positioned ing structure dirt and dust of inferior grade thereon the usual cross-ties 11, for supporting together with water, and during the winter track rails 12, the latter being mounted imseasons the freezing of this mixture of water mediately on tie plates 12a, secured to the and dust and the like, pries the crossing memcross-ties by the same spikes 13, which secure so bers apart distorting the crossing surface. the rail to the ties.

It is one object of this invention to provide The crossing, and especially that portion a railway highway crossing so constructed as located intermediate of the rails 12, comprises to overcome the above difficulties. a plurality of filler members 14, disposed in Another object is to provide anovelrailparallel relation one to the other and spaced way highway crossing in which inverted apart by spacing sticks 15, the latter being of channel iron members placed in spaced relasuch height as to extend upwardly for the tion, are utilized to form a desirable and durgreater portion of the depth of the filler memable crossing surface. bers 14, the purpose of which will be later de- 49 Another object is to provide arailway scribed. Disposed onthe inner side of each of highway crossing in which the several memthe trafiic rails 12 is positioned a flangeway bers are so positioned as to form a seal so as rail 16 having its upper or ball surface abutto exclude from those parts of the structure ting the trafiic rail web and its lower or flange water and foreign substances which would surface abutting the intermediate crossway cause damagev to the crossing during ,freezstructure. Each of the filler members 14 has ing weather. its side adjacent the upper surface thereof A further object is to provide novel means bevelled for receiving a channel iron member for supporting the flangeway rail so that 17 These channel iron members 17 are posiproper drainage is afforded and the misplacetioned on the filler members 14 in an inverted ment of the fiangeway rail obviated. position and their depending flanges, are pro- 59 vided with bevelled faces for cooperating with the bevelled sides or" the filler members 14, thereby forming atight seal between the filler members and the edges of the depend ing channel iron flanges. These filler members and channel irons may be of any desired dimensions and of proper number used to complete the intermediate structure. QBetween the channel irons and on top ofthe spacing sticks 15 is disposed a predetermined amount of asphalt or gravel and tar for 'torm-z ing a proper seal between the channel iron members. The top of the asphalt or other material is in a plane below the top surfaceof the channel iron members, whereby there isformed an irregular or anti-slip surface on the crossing. This 'i eature'may be readily observed from the drawings.

' The approach to the track rails may also be provided with one or' more filler members spaced apart by spacing sticks. and provided with channel iron members in substantially the samemanner, with the exception of the channel iron member adjacent the outer sides of the trafiic rail, which should preferably contact with the outer side of the ball or up per portion-otthe traflic rail. In the forms shown, 14a indicates filler members included in the construction of. the approach to the trafiic rail, 15a the spacing stick therebetween, and 17 a. the channel irons which may be identical'with those employed intermediate .the traliic rail. .18 indicates .the road pavement and 19 a layerlof asphalt between the road pavement and the adjacent channel iron 17 a. The bottom of the filler member lta adjacent the outer sides of the tratlic rails is bevelled as'shown at 14b, for receiving and means'ofpins 22 which'pref-erably are provid'ed witha flat head and ofsulficient length to extend through thefiller member and well into the cross-tie;

In order to provide drainage along the traffic rails and to prevent the fiangeway rail becoming displaced there is provided a novel supportingmeans comprising a plurality of U shaped members 20, disposed in spaced re lation along the inner side of the flange rails and aboutvthe heads of the rail spikes (see Figs. 4 and 5) This structure provides sutficient drainage and at the same time maiiu tains the flangeway rail in itsv proper position;

In order to furtherrigidly connect the BS several eleme'nts o'i'i-the crossing the. spacing sticks are preferably fixed-t adjacent filler members by means of nails or spikes 23.

Occasionally it is desired to construct such a crossing at points in the trafiic rail where a rail joint occurs. Fig. 3 illustrates such a crossing wherein 24 and 25' indicate the platesand bolts respectively forming the rail joint. At such a jointitwill be necessary to cut away a section of the fiangeway rail so that the unit will fit around the joint. This can'be readily don-e by means of an acetylene torch and it will be noted also that it is only. necessary to cut away the ball portionand web of the fiangeway rail, leaving .the flange part orbottom of the flangeway rail in contact .with theadjacentfiller and cooperating sideof the channel iron member whereby the proper seal for excluding dirt and water from the inner structure of th crossing is maintainedp It is ofte1 'advisable to provide anextension at the ends of such 'cro'ssways; These extensions are fnot subjectedto the strenuous trafiicas the crossing proper. However, a matter of safety, it is desirable to provide an extension at each end of the crossing. The herein illustrated structure, in Figure L41,

illustrates such'an extensioin which is dure;

able andcomparatively cheap to provide. In the form shown, supporting members are shims 28 and are provided on the next cooperating ties '11 ior'supporting the extension members which may comprise a plu rality of planks 29 or other suitable material. The supporting members or shims 28 are of such dimensions as to support the planks 29 in thesame planeas the crossing proper, suitable means such as nails or spikes being provided for rigidly fixing the members 28 and 29 to the ties 11. l/Vhen such extensionsare provided the vflangeway rails 16 are preferably extendedin length to include the length of the extensions and further the ends-of the flangeway rails are bevelled as shown at:3 0, to provide asmooth entrance for the flange :whe els traveling thereover. The ends of the extension members 29 are also preferably'beveled, as shownlat 31. H

A railway highway crossing constructed in accordance with the above has 'been'ioundto be superior to'any othertype 'ofcrossing known to me, Furthen sucha crossing may be constructed from' discarded materials, owned by allrailroads-and,therefore; at a considerable saving.

The means for supporting the fiangeway rall 1s avery important feature-of the invention. This canbe observed from the accompanying drawings,illustrating the manner inwhich the fiangeway rail is disposed on the members 20 supporting both the ball and. flange edges in'such a manner as to positively prevent the sagging of the flange rail in eitherdirection. Here again, in supporting the flangeway rail in {this .manner the :seal

edge of the intermediate crossing is maintained, thereby preventing inferior substance and water from gaining entrance to the inner portion of the crossing thus adding greatly to the life of the latter.

Another important feature of the invention is the rigid manner in which the several elements of the entire structure are fixed together and form a crossing which may be considered a unit.

. It is to be understood that the filler members, spacing sticks, channel irons, fiangeway rails, fiangeway rail supporting members and other elements of the crossing, may be of any desired dimensions. ther changes, modifications, substitutions, additions and omissions may be made in the structure without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A railway highway crossing comprising a plurality of parallel disposed channel shaped members, arranged to present a flat upper surface, filler members for supporting said channel shaped members and fastening means disposed vertically through the channel shaped members and the cooperating filler members.

2. A railwayhighwaycrossing, comprising a plurality of parallel disposed channel shaped members, arrangedto present a flat upper surface, filler members for supporting said 7 channel members, spacing sticks intermediate the vertical sides of the filler members and fastening means disposed transversely through the cooperating spacing sticks and filler members.

3. A railway highway crossing, including a traffic rail, a flangeway rail disposed along its inner side and means for supporting said fiangeway rail, the said means comprising a plurality of U-shaped members spaced apart and supported by the inner flange of said traffic rail.

4. In a railway highway crossing the combination with a railroad tie, a tie plate, a traflic rail, a spike for fixing said traflic rail and tie plate to said tie and means for supporting said flangeway rail, including a U- shaped member disposed about the head of the said spike.

5. In a railway highway crossing, including railway ties, traffic rails carried thereby and an intermediate structure between said traflic rails comprising a plurality of parallelly disposed filler members having their vertical sides bevelled adjacent their upper surface and a metal member disposed on the upper surface of each of said filler members, the said metal members having depending flanges for engaging the bevelled sides, of said filler members.

6. A railway highway crossing comprising a permanently arranged unit, consisting of channel shaped members, means for supporting said members in spaced relation and means for sealing the spaces between the said members.

7. A railway highway crossing comprising a combination with a pair of rails between which the crossing is arranged. Supporting members consisting of filler members of predetermined lengths, uniform spacing members arranged intermediate of the supporting members, inverted channel irons disposed on said supporting members and fastening means disposed vertically through the chan- {iel iron members and the supporting memers.

8. A claim in accordance with claim 1, including an extension comprising a pluralityof planks disposed in side by side relation and means carried by the usual railway ties for supporting the said planks in the same plane with the crossing proper.

9. A claim in accordance with claim 1, including an approach to the traffic rails, comprising channel iron members, disposed in parallel relation, the channel iron member adjacent the said trafiic rail adapted to abut against the outer side of said trafiic rail.

10. In a highway railway crossing an in termediate structure, comprising a plurality of parallel disposed filler members, spaced apart and rigidly fixed to the usual railway tie, inverted channel iron members disposed over the said filler members and a filling substance disposed between the adjacent sides of the said channel iron members and adapted to form a predetermined recess between the upper edges of cooperating channel iron members, whereby an antislip crossing surface is provided.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN W. CERNY. 

